Aug 12 - Day 9 Sleep in an Alpine habitat

August 12, 2016

The team has had a very tough day on the trails today, a significant amount of vertical ascent was required by @Conrad Anker in order to satisfy his acclimatisation protocol. They climbed up to Lava Tower at 4600m before descending to Barranco camp (3950m). With heavy legs, blistered toes and deepening fatigue, they will all need a good nights sleep!

Unfortunately, nothing is simple in these hostile environments and sleeping presents yet another challenge at high altitudes. Their bodies (and minds!) will be desperate for some down time, and hoping for the repair systems to intervene! However, for some of the group, the recovery processes are being seriously compromised against the backdrop oxygen deprivation. The Mayo research team will now see an amplification of the individual differences in adaptation.

Below are data samples of two individuals spending the night at a little under 4000m/12’000ft. As you can see, Individual 1 took longer to adapt and recover. From 6pm-11pm the Heart Rate was comparable to that crazy spin class we all know and love! The reality - they were in fact sat down, stationary and trying to perform simple tasks on a laptop whilst complaining of dizziness and nausea, making it difficult to perform somewhat more complex tasks.

Individual II did experience some elevation in his Heart Rate levels, but a superior adaptation to the altitude is clearly reflected by a less intense HR response over a much shorter time period. These are profiles all of the team will be hoping for tonight, that and 8 hours of uninterrupted deep sleep!

Individual I

Individual II

Individual I reported about individual II that he fell asleep immediately after going to bed. It can be observed that essentially after 10pm there is an immediate drop in HR. Individual II got quickly up after 11pm to seek the toilet, which can be seen in a spike in the activity and an increase in HR. He returned to bed and fell asleep again. After midnight BPw started to decrease as well.
Not so individual I, he reported about problems falling asleep. He went to bed the same time as individual II and also got up to seek the toilet shortly after 11pm. He reported about a unrestful sleep, truly falling asleep only after 1am with a significant decrease in HR and BPw occurring at that time. He woke up at 5:30am and got then up after 6am to witness the dawn of a new day with a spectacular view at nearly 4000m.